Have you read the book– House Rules by Jodi Picoult? It was published around 10 years ago but I have only just discovered it. For any of you who may know someone who has a child with Asperger’s Syndrome, I highly recommend this book. It is a window into the life of a parent who deals with the syndrome every day — in this case, a single mum. It also delves into the emotions and thoughts of the sibling, as well as painting a portrait of the Asperger’s child from his own point of view. I hope I have gained an enormous amount of understanding from reading this and the author has given this fictional family an honest portrayal. House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t.

That said, I wanted to share a list from the book. The mum in the book writes an advice column and I especially liked this one, which I wanted to share:-

1. If you stick a piece of bread in a VCR, it will not come back intact.
2. Garbage bags don’t work as parachutes.
3. Childproofing is a relative term.
4. A tantrum is like a magnet — Eyes cannot help but lock onto you and your child when it happens.
5. Legos are not absorbed by the digestive tract.
6. Snow is a food group.
7. Kids know when you’re not listening to them.
8. A brussel sprout covered in cheese is still a brussel sprout.
9. The best place to cry is in a mother’s arms.
10. You’ll never be as good a mother as you want to be.